


Enigma

by fullofstarlight



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Crisis Core Sephiroth, F/M, Hojo is an Asshole, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:22:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28547067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullofstarlight/pseuds/fullofstarlight
Summary: Sephiroth wakes up in a bed of flowers, his memory now in complete shambles. Aerith is the one to find him.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Sephiroth
Comments: 20
Kudos: 62





	1. Sephiroth I

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I'd ever write fic for this fandom ever again. It's been *counts* about fifteenish years, but here I am. This was one of my first crack ships so I felt like revisiting it. Anyways, none of that matters. If Yoshitaka Amano ships it, I can too. I pulled the idea during a replay of Knights of the Old Republic for this fic. Revan loses his memories and finds redemption through a new path due to this. That's kind of where I'm going with this but also not really. 
> 
> (Off-topic note: I do plan to finish my other work in progress for my ASOIAF/GoT thing, but I hit massive writer's block. So, if you clicked into this fic for an update on that just know I'm still working on it and do plan to finish it. Tbh, that fandom is so negative I really needed a break from writing for it.)

Space and time are unpredictable. They move in ways that even the sharpest of minds can’t possibly begin to understand. Memories in separate timelines merge and disperse—the good ones, the bad ones, the ones that will forever haunt him. Sephiroth is unsure how many times he’s walked through life, repeating or changing events only to come to the same bitter end. There is a single event that holds his fate. It clings to him so that he’ll always meet the same end regardless of the different choices he makes. He had thought it to be Cloud’s doing, but now, he’s not quite sure.

Whispers pass him, surrounding him in their haunting embrace. He’s falling, crashing down to the world below—the sector five slums to be exact. He’s not sure where this fall will take him. Perhaps he is about to meet death early. Sephiroth shuts his eyes, embracing the whispers that shroud him. He supposes he’ll have his answer when he wakes up.

~*~

Pounding, searing pain throbs in his head as muddled memories cut through his mind. _SOLDIER, First Class—_ he had achieved that through hard work, dedication, and also with exceptional aptitude compared to his peers. Zack is the first person Sephiroth remembers. Yes, Zack and a young blonde man. Sephiroth reaches into his mind, trying to pull the name of his old comrade but cannot for the life of himself remember.

Something had happened. Sephiroth cannot remember what, but all he knows is that for some reason he had left. Rage and flames are all that he can remember of that day. Had he been betrayed? Sephiroth wishes he had the answer, but all he sees is a wall of flames in his mind. A part of him wonders if SOLDIER will take him back, but would he even want to go back? 

Sephiroth gazes up at the hole in the ceiling. A face comes into view—a brunette young woman likely in her early twenties. Her brow creases as her eyes look upon him. 

“Maybe you’re _not_ okay…” 

Her voice is melodic and smooth like a soft lullaby. Sephiroth looks up into her green eyes. A dark void fills him. She’s familiar to him, but he’s not quite sure why. Had they met before? The dark void spilling within him makes him wonder if they had some sort of falling out. Sephiroth sits up and clutches his head. 

“Have you and I met before?” is all he can think to ask.

The woman shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. I think I’d remember a face like yours.”

The way she beams up at him with a soft smile sends chills through his body. Sephiroth gazes down on the petite woman. She tilts her head as her smile widens. There’s such brightness in her face, but in her green eyes, there’s a certain kind of sadness she can’t quite hide behind her bright smile. Everyone has a story, even this girl. 

Whatever story that story might be is irrelevant to him. Getting involved in the plights of others will only make his life more difficult. _And hers as well._ Whatever happened to cause him to leave SOLDIER most definitely left a heavy price on his head. He looks into the girl’s eyes—whoever she is. She doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of whatever led him to this place.

Sephiroth turns his gaze toward the door and steps forward. “Thank you for what you have done, young lady. But, it’s best you don’t involve yourself with me.”

“Why?” Her voice is filled with confusion, sadness, and that tiny hint of frustration that brews in women when faced with rejection. “Is it because you’re SOLDIER? You’re not the first…”

“And, how did that work out for you?”

_Silence._

Sephiroth turns back to her. Tears are stuck behind her eyes as she gazes to her floor. She clutches her wrist as if that tight grasp alone can stop the tear that escapes her. It didn’t end well. That much is clear. 

A flicker of a memory resurfaces—all he can see is fire. It’s not safe for her to be near him— _whoever he is_. “The path I’m on is not one you want to follow.”

The sound of doors being thrown open pulls his attention away from the girl. Sephiroth turns to glance at a redhead with a pair of soldiers flanking him on each side. The black suit is a dead giveaway to this man’s allegiance. Sephiroth frowns. He assumes the man is here for him. So, much for keeping the church girl uninvolved.

“Who’s your new friend, Aerith?” the man asks.

“He’s my bodyguard,” Aerith chimes in. “And, a SOLDIER! Pretty cool, huh, Reno?”

_Aerith,_ he’s heard that name from someone, somewhere. She was important to someone he knew. Sephiroth turns back to take in the girl’s features. Who is she exactly? They haven’t met, but somehow he feels connected to her. Aerith glances up at him with pleading eyes. So much for not getting her involved.

“Really? What class?” Reno asks.

“First class,” Sephiroth responds.

There’s this balking laughter that erupts from Reno. Sephiroth tears his gaze away from Aerith and turns to face Reno. Reno takes an abrupt step back and mutters. “It can’t be. No, you must be an imposter.”

Reno raises his weapon before him, electricity dancing from the end of his baton. There’s a look of apprehension in his features. He’s clearly taking this situation seriously now. Reno motions to the man on his right. “Call for backup. _Now_.”

“Yes, sir!” The soldier shouts dutifully.

“Who are _you_?” Reno asks with narrowed eyes. It sounds as if he already knows, but he's waiting for confirmation.

Giving his name will only cause this girl further problems with Shinra and the Turks. She’ll remain in their custody till the day she dies if she’s associated with him. Sephiroth ignores Reno’s question and instead asks one of his own, “Why are you harassing this girl? What could Shinra possibly gain from a harmless church girl?”

“That’s not your business,” Reno responds.

“I’m her bodyguard, remember?” Sephiroth states. “It absolutely is my business now.”

“How is she paying you? If you are who I think you are, she wouldn’t have the Gil to pay you,” Reno glances past Sephiroth to Aerith. “Guess SOLDIER is your type, huh? I hope you’re not paying him how I think you are.”

Sephiroth grits his teeth. This is getting worse for her the longer they banter. The moment Shira finds out who he is, they’ll never give this girl an ounce of peace.

“If I am who you think I am, why are you still here? Run along little boy before you get hurt.” A simple threat should suffice. Perhaps it will be enough to have this annoyance leave his presence. 

“No, it can’t be. You’re just a half-assed imposter,” Reno shakes his head and attempts a laugh, but all the Sephiroth can see in the boy’s eyes is fear. He glances over to the man on his right. “What’s the ETA on backup?”

“20 minutes, sir,” the soldier responds. “Radio Tseng. _Now.”_

“Yes, sir!”

“ _Aerith_ ,” Reno looks at her with what appears to be a look of concern. “You need to surrender yourself to us now. You do not know who this man is. We will keep you safe.”

“No, I’m not going anywhere!” Aerith shouts. “Leave me alone!”

Reno glances back to Sephiroth. He takes a fighting stance and charges the rod in his head. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Life is full of disappointments,” Sephiroth replies. “Leave this place and I’ll let you live.”

“What happened to Zack Fair?” Reno pauses to make a quick glance at Aerith before whispering. “And, what do you want with Aerith?"

“I hardly know her,” Sephiroth replies. “To be honest, I wasn’t going to get involved in her plights until you started annoying me.”

“Bullshit,” Reno spits. “You don’t really think I believe you two just met by sheer coincidence.”

This is becoming tedious. Sephiroth draws his sword and points it toward Reno. “Are you just going to stand there and run your mouth? Stop wasting my time.”

Reno charges him and raises his baton to strike him. His movements are wild and uneven. Panic has clearly left him open for attack. Sephiroth kicks him straight in the gut and knocks Reno on his back. Reno grunts as he rises back to his feet.

“Are you done?” Sephiroth taunts. 

The two soldiers flanking Reno charge forward. They aim their guns at Sephiroth. Sephiroth swipes his sword, cutting through both of the soldiers before they can fire. Reno grits his teeth. He’s not going to just turn tail and run. Clearly, this girl is important to Shinra. But, why? Perhaps, he should ask Aerith himself when this is all settled. 

Blue electricity surges from Reno’s baton. He circles around Sephiroth, each step taken with apprehension. Reno’s movements are more careful than before. He steps forward and abruptly steps back the moment Sephiroth advances on him. He’ll end up bloodied on the floor like his subordinates if he doesn’t retreat, but the possibility of this doesn’t seem to scare Reno off. The girl is too important to Shinra that this man would risk everything to prevent Shinra from losing sight of her. 

Reno raises his baton to Sephiroth to strike only to have the baton cut in half. Sephiroth raises his sword, ready to take this man’s meaningless life from him.

“Please don’t kill him!” Aerith cries from behind him.

Sephiroth doesn’t care for the girl’s pleas. He’s ready to cut this man’s head clean off for daring to challenge him.

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Reno spits through heavy breaths. “You don’t understand. I’m just…”

The air around him becomes so thick and so cold. Spirits shroud him before he can drive his blade through Reno’s neck. The spirits dig into him, pulling him away from his opponent. Have they chosen Reno’s side? He scrapes his feet against the wooden floor in some attempt to gain control of himself, but the spirits carry him away with Aerith despite his efforts.

The spirits release him. Sephiroth rises to his feet and goes to Aerith. He kneels over her, brushing a strand of her brown hair from her eyes. “Aerith…”

The name sounds familiar on his tongue. A memory flickers into his mind. _Zack_. He remembers. He was quite fond of a girl named Aerith. Aerith’s eyes flutter open. She glances up at him with curious eyes. She sits up and dusts off her jacket. Sephiroth takes her arm in his hand and helps her off the floor.

“We need to leave,” Sephiroth says. “If they capture you, Shinra will lock you away for the rest of your life.”

“I’m not dangerous or anything,” Aerith says. “They just watch me, because they think I’m important. Reno isn’t that bad actually. None of them are. They’re just _difficult_.”

Aerith glances around at the spirits, her eyes full of wonder. She’s not frightened of them at all. They’re not what she should be afraid of though. 

“Who are you to Reno?” Aerith says.

“I’m nobody to him,” Sephiroth replies. 

“He didn’t sound like you were a nobody,” Aerith says.

This is no time for small talk. Sephiroth motions for her to follow him. “We have to leave before reinforcements arrive.”

Sephiroth walks through the battered church. He pays no mind to the spirits around him. They appear to be harmless spectators for the most part. He wonders if the girl might have something to do with these creatures. Perhaps, that’s why Shinra wants her. He looks to a single board lying like a bridge across the damaged floor. 

There is no time to wait for a civilian like her to muster the courage to cross the wooden board. Aerith yelps as he throws her over her shoulder and carries her across the wooden plank with him.

“No, wait…!”

Sephiroth ignores the girl's pleas, only setting her down when they’re safely across. Gunfire erupts from the bottom floor. Sephiroth covers Aerith before dropping them both down to the wooden floor. Clearly, Aerith is more important to Shinra than she believes she is. 

“Surrender Aerith to us and we’ll let you leave!” Reno shouts from below. 

“You’re not going to let them take me are you?” Aerith asks.

“Why would I? I’m already a wanted man,” Sephiroth replies. “Turning you over wouldn’t change that.”

The flames emerge in the back of his mind, burning hot and bright. There’s a reason he’s no longer in SOLDIER. Sephiroth just wishes that he could remember why.

“Get her now!” Reno shouts, panic clear in his voice. “It’s my ass on the line if he leaves with her!”

Gunfire erupts through the church, flying just above them. Sephiroth covers Aerith’s body as if to shield her. Protecting civilians was a part of his service in SOLDIER. It’s only natural that he makes sure no harm comes to her.

“Don’t shoot at her, you idiot!” Reno barks from below. “If there’s a single scratch on her, you’re dead!” 

Sephiroth waits for the gunfire to stop before he rises to a crouching position. He takes Aerith’s hands in his. “When I count to three, we run.”

Aerith looks into his eyes and gives him a nod of acknowledgment.

“One, two…” Sephiroth pauses and draws in a deep breath. “ _Three._ ”

Sephiroth rises to his feet and breaks out into a run, his hand tightly clasped to Aerith’s. Despite Reno’s orders, the soldiers below continue their gunfire.

“I told you not to shoot!” Reno shouts.

Sephiroth rushes through the church, his eyes focused on the door to the attic. Gunfire continues to rain on them. He wonders if this is the girl’s first time seeing this kind of violence. None of that matters though. All that matters is they get out of this damn church before both of them land in Shinra Headquarters.

He shifts through the debris, slashing through anything that might stand in his way. There are only two ways this ends: they either escape this church or they’re both going to be encased in one of Hojo’s test tubes. Sephiroth enters the attic, pulling the girl in with him. He looks down at the girl. He pities her. Whatever life she led before this is over and she doesn’t even know it yet.

Aerith manages a smile in spite of everything and looks up to him with wide eyes. “Who are you?”

“Sephiroth,” he answers.

He can pinpoint the exact moment his name registers by the way her smile fades and her pupils dilate. Her voice is a soft whisper when she finally speaks, “You knew Zack Fair. He spoke so highly of you."

“Yes, I knew him,” he replies.

“Is he alive?” she asks, eyes full of hope.

He’s not sure how he knows, but the answer comes to him so easily. “No.”

The hope that had danced in her eyes turns to sadness. “How did he…? No, nevermind. I don’t want to know.”

The ghost-like spirits around them seem to fade. Sephiroth can see how shaken up she is. There are so many things he should say to her. He could apologize to her or tell her that everything will be okay. But, he doesn’t. They’re just cheap words that won’t help her.

“Aerith,” Sephiroth states. “How do we leave this Sector?”

“ _We?_ ”

“Yes, _we_ ,” Sephiroth’s voice is hardened when he speaks. “I gave you the option to not involve yourself with me. You’ve made your choice. You can’t go back home unless you want to surrender yourself to Shinra. Unless you wish to be locked inside Shinra Headquarters for the rest of your life, you’re leaving this sector with me.”

“I don’t want to leave,” she whispers.

“You don’t have the luxury to make that choice anymore,” he replies.

“There’s a way out,” Aerith finally says. “We’ll have to wait till nightfall.”

A single teardrop trickles down her cheek. Sephiroth extends his hand and brushes it away. She places her hand on top of his and looks up into his eyes. Sephiroth makes an attempt to be empathetic to this girl’s woes. “You're doing what’s best for your family. You can’t involve them in this.”

“I know,” she whispers.

“It will all be for the best in the end.” Sephiroth’s words hang in the air. Perhaps she was always better off away from the surveillance she’s already under. It would have only been a matter of time before they brought her into headquarters. It’s better that she breaks away from her attachments now before she suffers for it later. 

The flames burn in his mind again. He wonders if she’s truly safe with him or if she’s just signed her death certificate. 


	2. Aerith I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I wanted to complete a WIP from ASOIAF/GoT before moving on to new projects, but now that it's done, I'm so reading to get on with this fic. I saw there will be new DLC soon! As soon as it's released, I'm so ready to replay the game. I'm doing this in a GRRM format where each chapter changes POV. It's likely to be just Aerith and Seph, but I might throw in a different POV if needed. Anyways, thank you for all your response. It means the world to me.

Aerith had never expected to come across _the_ Sephiroth. Rumor had it that he had died in a tragic accident. It was all a lie, and yet, she can't make sense of any of it. What did Shirna have to hide? If Sephiroth had turned on them, wouldn’t it have been just as easy to admit that he was a traitor than to concoct a cover up? And, Zack? What happened to him? She had thought she felt his life force go all those years ago, but a part of her tried to convince herself that it was all in her head. She had always known deep down, but didn’t want to admit the truth to herself. Now, she can no longer run from the truth she had always known. 

There’s a hole that fills her now, a deep soul sucking void that pulls at her heart. She had hopelessly believed that he’d come back to her. That’s why she'd taken to wearing pink. He had suggested she wear it before he left. She thought the idea silly at the time, but now all she feels is a deep, harrowing sorrow in her soul. Zack is gone. _Forever._

Aerith’s eyes gaze out on the skyline. The slums look uglier than ever. She supposes there isn’t much reason to stay here. There is her adoptive mother and of course there are the children too. She’ll miss them dearly, but if she stays, she’ll only end up a prisoner. Aside from some of the people, she’ll hardly miss this place. Deep down, she was only staying in hopes that maybe Zack would return. There’s a freeing feeling to the truth regardless of how horrible it is. She’s no longer tied to her past and can now look to the future.

“Are they gone?” Sephiroth asks.

“The spirits?” Aerith asks. “I don’t know. Let’s just go.”

Aerith notices that her voice sounds so defeated. She supposes that in a way she is. Her entire life she’s been waiting around for someone who will never come back and something that can never be. Now she has to let all of that go. Aerith pushes that thought to the back of her mind and scans the rooftops around her. It’s risky, but it's the only way to avoid the Turks. 

“Up for crossing the rooftops?” Aerith asks. “There’s a pathway out of town, but we have to get to the station to reach it.”

Sephiroth walks passed her to the ladder. Aerith pauses for a moment. She could turn back and find Reno. She could apologize. They might go easy on her if she does. Aerith shakes her head. _No._ She’s tired of living under surveillance. The idea of living her life freely without being watched is just too tempting to pass up.

Aerith climbs down the ladder. She leaps onto a metal cylinder and onto another roof. She decides on conversation for the sake of distraction. “So, what’s next for you?”

“Professor Hojo,” Sephiroth says. “I won’t rest until he pays for what he did.”

Aerith doesn’t see herself following him down that road. She’d prefer to stay as far away from Shinra as she possibly can. The last thing she wants is to end up in Hojo’s _care_ again. 

“I hope you can stop him from hurting any more people,” Aerith says. 

“I hope so too,” Sephiroth replies. “What do the Turk’s want with you?”

Aerith crosses a wooden board and follows Sephiroth onto another rooftop. “Dunno.”

“Bullshit,” he replies.

“Don’t they keep an eye out for potential SOLDIERs like you?” Aerith asks. “Maybe they think I could be the greatest SOLDIER yet!”

“I doubt it,” Sephiroth answers coldly.

Aerith glares at the back of him. He’s so frustrating. “You don’t believe me?”

“No,” he answers.

Aerith places her back against a wooden structure and follows Sephiroth along a rusted old pipe till they reach a wooden bridge. She follows him into a small wooden enclosure till they reach an iron ladder. She follows him up the ladder. They’re outside again. She looks to the skyline once more and is so grateful she doesn’t have to live in this rotten place anymore.

“I’m glad I don’t have to be here anymore,” Aerith says. “I suppose I was just waiting for Zack.”

Aerith waits for him to console her, but he keeps moving as if she isn't even there. She bites her lip and resists letting out a frustrated groan. It's like he barely cares that she's with him. They move down another ladder and hop along buildings. There’s a large, daunting gap. Aerith watches Sephiroth cross it with ease, but when she reaches it, she pauses. 

“Wait!” she calls out to him. “Give me a moment!”

Aerith is surprised when he comes back from her. Their eyes meet, sending a chill through her. It’s almost as if they’re connected somehow. Aerith shakes her head as if to shake that single thought out of her mind. They’ve just met. There’s no way they could possibly be _connected_. She’s just trying to rationalize whatever is happening between them. 

Aerith takes a small step forward and forces herself to jump. She trips over herself and falls forward. Sephiroth catches her, both his hands on her biceps to steady her. Aerith glances up at him, searching his eyes for some kind of reaction. Still, he has that distant, unreadable look in his green eyes. 

“Don’t just run off on your own,” Aerith says breathlessly.

“And, I’m supposed to believe you’re a SOLDIER candidate?” he asks.

Aerith steps away and folds her arms defensively. “I suppose you got me there.”

Sephiroth turns away from her and continues to move through the rooftops. Aerith follows in silence. There’s a prickling feeling of insecurity that spreads through her. He doesn’t seem to take to her as easily as people usually do. Perhaps he doesn’t care for her much? Her chest flares with anger for a moment before she calms herself. She shouldn’t care how he feels for her. It’s not like they’re friends or anything. They’ve just met.

“What do the Turks want with you?” he asks again.

“I…” Aerith wonders if he’d believe her if she told the truth. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

Aerith follows Sephiroth up another ladder. She dusts herself off when she gets to the top and follows him across a metal plank to another building. 

“So,” he pauses. “What do they want with you?”

Aerith had hoped that her dismissive answer would have given him a hint, but she supposes he will continue to press her on the subject until she gives a truthful answer. Aerith watches Sephiroth climb another old rusted ladder. She puts her hand on the ladder, noticing that it shakes underneath her grasp. She breathes deeply before climbing the shaky ladder. She reaches the second to the last rung before the ladder falls forward.

“Shit!” Aerith hisses, quickly leaping from the ladder to grab a rusty thin pipe to keep herself from falling. Sephiroth grabs her wrist and lifts her up with ease. Aerith glances up into his eyes, still so cold and distant. When he releases her wrist, Aerith glances over to the wall. Just a moment ago, she thought she hated living here, but she doesn’t. Not truly. 

“Hojo wants me because of who I am,” Aerith confesses. “It has to do with my mother and where she came from. _I_ …”

Aerith pauses, thinking for just another sliver of a moment that she should reconsider telling him. She shuts her eyes and breathes. “My mother was a Cetra, and because of that, the Turks will always watch me. It’s better now. At least I’m not under Hojo’s watchful eye anymore. But, I just wish I wouldn't be watched so much. It's suffocating."

Sephiroth’s eyes seem to be more distant than ever as he looks at her. His long silver hair waves behind him so perfectly. He’s beautiful. Perhaps the most beautiful man she’s ever seen in her life. She imagines women were desperate for his attention when he was a SOLDIER. His eyes seem to see deep within her. He steps toward her and places his hand just above her wrist.

“You and I are going to do such great things together, Aerith.” Sepiroth’s words sound like a promise. It scares her, but intrigues her at the same time. She’s just glad that her fears of him disliking her have been proven false.

A spark lights up within her as she takes the lead. Aerith walks along a rusted pipe. She places her hands out to balance herself. She reaches the end and hops off, glancing back at Sephiroth. She places both hands behind her back and beams up at him. She waits for him to cross the pipe before sliding down a rusted pipe. She waits for him dutifully. It feels weird but it feels like she's known him for so long. 

Aerith follows him to the edge of the rooftop. He jumps down with ease. Aerith’s breath catches in her throat as she looks down. It’s...far. She steps forward, but steps backward as her fear gets the best of her. A white bird whips by causing her to lose her balance and fall from the roof.

Aerith lands in Sephiroth’s arms and looks up to him. She cannot resist the natural flirt within her and lets out two breathless words of gratitude. “My hero…”

Sephiroth sets Aerith on the ground. There’s a pull she feels toward him that she can’t quite explain. It’s as if the planet is calling her to him. Perhaps it’s that he was close to Zack, or maybe it’s something else. Aerith can’t quite be sure. She’s glad that they met despite all the chaos it’s caused in her life. 

“I’m glad we met,” Aerith admits.

“So am I.”

Sephiroth’s words weren’t what she expected to hear from him. There’s a sudden spark of hope that she hadn’t felt before. There’s the hope of freedom and _something else_. Her lips part slightly as a soft gasp escapes her. She steps forward, her eyes glancing directly into his. In his eyes, she can see the same loneliness that she's felt for so long.

Aerith shakes herself back to reality. They need to get out of town as fast as they possibly can. She turns away from Sephiroth and steps in the direction of the station. “This is a clear path to the station.”

Aerith turns back to Sephiroth and warns, “There will be monsters on the way.”

Sephiroth walks past her without even the slightest tinge of fear at her warning. “They shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Of course not,” Aerith responds.

What could simple monsters do to a First Class SOLDIER? She was silly to even warn him in the first place. Sephiroth walks through the cluttered path with ease, slashing through a red hedgehog without even a thought. They moved through an abandoned steel building. Sephiroth slices through another hedgehog and a wererat. Watching him cut through monsters so easily makes her feel so weak. She’s capable on her own. That’s how she made her way to the church in the first place, but she’s nowhere near as skilled a fighter as he is. 

They make their way through an open fence. Aerith spots the cut opening in the diamond fence she squeezes through to get to the church. She stops herself from rushing through and turns to Sephiroth. “Do you think they’re waiting for us?”

“It’s likely,” he says.

“There isn’t another way,” Aerith says as she releases a defeated sigh. 

“We’ll have to take our chances,” Sephiroth says. 

The sound of helicopter fins above causes her to jump. She looks above her to see a helicopter circling the area. She takes cover underneath the steel overhang. The moment they’re spotted, Shirna’s minions will be all over them. She doesn’t want to go back to that _room_. Aerith’s hands shake as she thinks of Hojo’s ugly stare glancing over her. 

The sound of the helicopter’s fins fade away. She lets out a deep breath as relief courses through her. The longer she stays in Sector 5, the more she fears that she’ll become a Shinra prisoner just like she was in her childhood. Aerith glances to the chain link fence. Her mind is telling her to run through the crevice, but her feet are planted firmly in place. 

Aerith waits for Sephiroth to move through the break in the fence before she finds the courage to follow. The train station is just ahead. The thought of boarding a train seems tempting, but Aerith reminds herself that they are heavily surveyed by Shinra. Might as well just take the long route out of the slums just to be safe.

“I can’t believe this is happening!” a frustrated voice cries out.

“If you would all just please calm down!” the train conductor shouts.

“The trains are shut down,” Sephiroth says.

“Because of us?” Aerith asks.

“No, something about a terrorist attack from what I’ve overheard,” Sephiroth states. “Or so it seems.”

Aerith isn’t sure what she believes either. There are rumors of a terrorist group called AVALANCHE, but Aerith doubts that Shinra is being honest about their motivations. She pushes that thought to the back of her mind. There's no time to worry about AVALANCHE or it's motivations when they're on the run. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” a woman speaks.

Aerith recognizes her from the slums. “Oh yeah, I was just at the church.”

“New boyfriend?” she asks. “Let’s hope he doesn’t run away like the last one.”

Aerith doesn’t know how to reply to that and just says, “Uh, yeah. I’m in a hurry. I’m sorry.”

The sound of helicopter fins come from overhead. Aerith ducks behind a metal box with Sephiroth. Her chest is tight as anxiety builds within her. She has this sudden fear that they will be caught. She peaks around the box to see the helicopter lowering to the ground. Rude leaps out and follows a pair of Shinra soldiers into the gate. Is he looking for her or Sephiroth?

“He's looking for us," Aerith states.

“We should leave," Sephiroth says.

“There’s another way,” Aerith says. “The backstreets, but there will be monsters.”

Aerith leads Sephiroth away from Rude and to the backstreets that she knows so well. She glances back to him just to make sure he’s still following her. The monsters ahead should be nothing. After all, she has her bodyguard. Who could hurt her with a First Class SOLDIER by her side? A smile flickers across her face at the thought of it all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter is Aerith's pov


End file.
